What do you miss most about Great Britain? (buy, taxes)

[autumngal]

yes! the hedgehogs. They have a lot of fleas but were so adorable.
And we used to rescue them out of the cattle grids in the roads on the moors. Poor puppets would fall thru.
All the lambs at spring time. That was always a sweet time. Ok maybe not for the farmers.

Ahh the Pubs. Have to say after returning to the states from the UK it was a bit of a culture shock on
Sundays not having any pubs to go to.

haha! The milk truck, I forgot about those. I won't get into anymore food except Lincolnshire sausages rock!

I miss the black & white houses with a thatched roof. The small windy lanes
with hedgerows as barriers. The market towns. The culture. The fascination of how old everything is and all the history it holds.
It was also convenient to have the tax (VAT) already in the retail price of things you were going to purchase. Not the VAT amount itself. But it already being included so the price you saw was the price you paid.

And most of all I miss my friends I left behind. They come visit regualrly, but I miss them.

[millie61]

And most of all I miss my friends I left behind. They come visit regualrly, but I miss them


Know how you feel but remember it is quality time when they are here plus they come bearing goodies from home !!! My friend gets here next week can't wait.

[RH1]

Originally Posted by autumngal

I won't get into anymore food except Lincolnshire sausages rock!

Yay!

[backtotx]

We used to live in a part of England that is described as England's last wilderness (no kidding). It is a very rural area that is mainly farms but also some houses like ours. Ours is dated 1739, I miss the old stone houses and uniqueness that these bring. We used to have two cats who kept the rabbit problem down, except I once opened my door to find a rabbit head on the mat. My cat Angus had left it there as a present. My other cat Daisy, was very good at solving the mole problem. She just sat there on the grass listening for the moles underneath and managed to catch quite a few!
We occasionally got hedgehogs in the garden and there was also a family of badgers down the road also.
Autumngal - I prefer paying for things when the tax is built in. It drives my 13 year old crazy when she sees something she can afford to buy and then realises she has to add tax on to it.

[RH1]

Originally Posted by backtotx

We used to live in a part of England that is described as England's last wilderness (no kidding). It is a very rural area that is mainly farms but also some houses like ours. Ours is dated 1739, I miss the old stone houses and uniqueness that these bring. We used to have two cats who kept the rabbit problem down, except I once opened my door to find a rabbit head on the mat. My cat Angus had left it there as a present. My other cat Daisy, was very good at solving the mole problem. She just sat there on the grass listening for the moles underneath and managed to catch quite a few!
We occasionally got hedgehogs in the garden and there was also a family of badgers down the road also.
Autumngal - I prefer paying for things when the tax is built in. It drives my 13 year old crazy when she sees something she can afford to buy and then realises she has to add tax on to it.

I didn't realise it wasn't included on prices in the US - how odd.

I like the proximity of small animals as well. I'm lucky enough to live in a city but work in the country, and when I go out to my car it's like a scene from Snow White - all these little rabbits, squirrels and birds scurrying and hopping under hedges. I'm pretty lucky.

[backtotx]

Can any Americans out there explain why tax isn't included and is added on at the end?

[ian6479]

Originally Posted by backtotx

Can any Americans out there explain why tax isn't included and is added on at the end?

I would think it is because the tax varies from state to state, so the tax is added within that particular state rather than centrally.

[okaydorothy]

Ok, can I join ; I am irish, but my dh's family lives in England. So my poor kids are irish, english and also they were born in america.
We go home everyyear ; beit england or ireland.
I miss the sense of humor, the tv shows ; with so little ads, the chocolate. When i go home and go into the grocery shops ; Tescos, etc I am like a kid in a candy store. I miss the quality of the clothes that my boys wear from Marks and sparks and also Next. Going out for sunday lunch to a pub, The minerals ( soda).
My kids refuse to eat american chocolate ; they say its like soap. Getting a bag of crisps in the pub, or even just having a nice small pub to get lunch in.
dorothy

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

Originally Posted by ian6479

I would think it is because the tax varies from state to state, so the tax is added within that particular state rather than centrally.

Actually the sales tax can vary depending on the city your in, at least in Texas it can.

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

Originally Posted by okaydorothy

Ok, can I join ; I am irish, but my dh's family lives in England. So my poor kids are irish, english and also they were born in america.
We go home everyyear ; beit england or ireland.
I miss the sense of humor, the tv shows ; with so little ads, the chocolate. When i go home and go into the grocery shops ; Tescos, etc I am like a kid in a candy store. I miss the quality of the clothes that my boys wear from Marks and sparks and also Next. Going out for sunday lunch to a pub, The minerals ( soda).
My kids refuse to eat american chocolate ; they say its like soap. Getting a bag of crisps in the pub, or even just having a nice small pub to get lunch in.
dorothy

You need to get Directv or cable, they have BBCAmerica and you can catch up on alot of your favorite shows. Another thing I do is check the BBC website for TV listings and download them from a site called isoHunt - World's largest BitTorrent and P2P search engine

AND for good chocolate and food, try World Market, they have all kinds of stuff there that reminds me of the UK. However I haven't found any Jammy Dodgers or Ribena.